Mark Wahlberg and Brie Larson star in the first images from The Gambler

Brad SturdivantOctober 7th, 2014

You don’t normally associate Mark Wahlberg with Oscar contention (even though he does have a nomination for his role in THE DEPARTED), but that’s what people are whispering about his next film, THE GAMBLER. He seems pretty proud of the remake of the 1974 film, saying “you prepare your whole life for a part like this.” That may be true, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s ready for it. I’ll let you come to your own conclusions about his ability, but TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION is still burning a hole in my heart and I just can’t get on the Mark Wahlberg bandwagon.

In the original, James Caan played an English professor that has a serious gambling problem, leading to him going into debt to the mob. But he loves the thrill of gambling so much that he squanders every opportunity to recover. From the looks of the pics, it almost seems like Wahlberg’s version is also set in the 70’s. THE GAMBLER stars: Mark Wahlberg, Brie Larson, Leland Orser, Jessica Lange and John Goodman. The Rupert Wyatt directed film hits theaters on December 19th.